If Donald Trump and Dolce & Gabanna bore a sneaker love child, this is it!
Donald Trump, without doubt, is synonymous with ugly. And to prove that those not part of the rabid MAGA crowd are right, the former POTUS has followed Kanye West's footsteps and released a sneaker line. Yep, this is Middle America Mega: A pair of high-tops in a gaudy gold (no fancy champagne!), named "The Never Surrender High Top Sneaker"—clearly a reactive snipe at those who have been cheering the slew of court cases he currently has to deal with. Or, a verbal and visual denial of the crimes he allegedly committed. Mr Trump names his debut footwear —dubbed "Trump's official sneaker"—the way he writes his untruthful posts on Truth Social: without a smidgen of creativity, but with considerable exaggeration. Wearers of the kicks may not surrender to the truth about their star politician, but they definitely would yield to the ugliness.
The quarter of the shoe bears the letter T, like a Latin cross, missing its top. An abbreviated American flag—the stars, in studs—wraps the collar. More gold is seen in the colour of the laces—they past through eyelets that are also in the shine of the precious metal. The tongue of the shoe is in gold too, with a label/tab featuring that sans-serif T, wrapped over the tip. Was Mr Trump inspired by the gold toilet-as-art, titled America, by Maurizio Cattelan? The whole shiny upper—with a gleam similar to Michael Jordan's Nike 'Gold Shoe' worn during the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics—sits on an unremarkable white mid-sole (we have no idea what cushioning is used, but none is probably required at Trump rallies) and a MAGA-red outsole. We kept thinking of cheer-leaders' footwear or roller skates (Roller Boogie?!). Or, Philipp Plein! Even Ralph Lauren couldn't dream of this nationalistic fervour for feet.
"The Never Surrender High Top Sneaker" was introduced and launched by Donald Trump himself at the Sneaker Con in Philadelphia days ago. He wore his usual unflattering navy suit and usual limp red tie (that matched the new sneaker's outsole), but, on his feet, no gold kicks. Even they are too hideous for Donald Trump?! For someone who (once) prides himself as a New Yorker, Mr Trump has very Calabasas taste. On videos seen online, he claimed ardently: "I've wanted to do this for a long time... This is something I've been talking about 12 years, 13 years, and I think it's going to be a big success." Never Surrender! He added,: "Your influencers have been very positive... They love it and they love what we've done." Picking up the right side of the shoe, he beamed: "That's the real deal." Except that we know, with Donald Trump, nothing is ever quite that real.
A new website was set up to hawk these kicks: gettrumpsneakers.com. The published price of "The Never Surrender High Top Sneaker" is a daringly high US$399 (or, about S$538) for a pair and is available for "pre-order". Each box, we're told, comes with extra laces and—wait for it—"an exclusive Trump superhero charm (numbered)"! But, as we write this, "SOLD OUT" is already stamped across the opening photograph of the new kicks. But this is not the only pair of shoes sold on the website. There is also the POTUS 45 (and still available), knit-upper kicks that are reminiscent of the Adidas NMD R1 STLT Primeknit. In addition, there are also fragrances(!); two to be precise: Victory 47 cologne and perfume, both of them in packaging that would remind you of the cheap scents you'd find in the basement shops of Lucky Plaza. A curious caption accompanying both read: "The images shown are for illustration purposes only and may not be an exact representation of the product." Does that also mean that the smells may vary too?
Screen shot of the Trump Sneaker website
According to the brand's website, "Trump Sneakers & Fragrances are intended for individual enjoyment and as a collectible and not for investment purposes." Does that mean Trump-branded products have no resale value? The products (and their "designs") are apparently owned by one CIC Ventures LLC, which, as it turns out, is "a company that Trump reported owning in his 2023 financial disclosure", according to American news reports. It is not clear if he stills own CIC Ventures. The website also made it clear that the Trump brand is conceived under a licencing deal and that the unfashionable former president has nothing to do with the design, manufacture, distribution, and sale of the Trump-branded merchandise. Does Mr Trump need to make money to fork out for the US$355 million in penalties (not including the extra US$83 million he needs to pay E Jean Carroll for tainting her reputation), resulting from the latest US court order? We are also told that the company uses "the Trump name, image and likeness" under an agreement "which may be terminated or revoked according to its terms." Was this in anticipation that Mr Trump might go into a Kanye West-style anti-Semitic outburst? Or, any racist diatribe?
This is not the first time Donald Trump has lent his recognisable (but repugnant to many) name to fashion products. In 2004, he launched the Donald J. Trump Collection at Macy's (the storied American retailer eventually dropped the line when Mr Trump unkindly denounced Mexicans, repeatedly. He hit back by going on Twitter [before it became X] to tell his fans to boycott Macy's). A line of men's clothing and accessories that was styled after his very self, the Donald J. Trump Collection was criticised for its overseas production in countries known for low wages while Mr Trump champions Made-in-USA. At the time, the line was put together with PVH Corp, parent company of Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger. And there is also the Trump Store, the retail outlet (at Trump Tower) and "the official website of The Trump Organisation", offering "the very latest in Trump branded merchandise", including the MAGA-centric Trump 45 Collection of campaign memorabilia. Welcome to Ugly Central.
Photo: gettrumpsneakers.com
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